OZZY AND SHARON HAVE REPORTEDLY SPLIT UP OVER CASH PROBLEMS15th April 2013

The British Daily Mirror's gossip section are reporting that Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne have been living apart for the last three weeks and have been spotted without their wedding rings. The tabloid also states that they have "made no effort" to see each other ahead of Black Sabbath's upcoming Australian tour.

The Mirror expresses fears that their 31-year-marriage is over after a bust-up over cash problems and an unpaid tax bill and quotes a source as saying: "The financial situation has been a real burden for them both and has put huge strain on them. These were big bills, and it has been very difficult for both of them.

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The Mirror states that they were hit with the huge £1.1million bill last year, after Sharon said she had lost track of the family's finances.

The Mirror source is further quoted as saying: "As anyone who has watched them on TV will know, they're no strangers to rows, but they've been under a lot of pressure recently.

"What makes things even harder for them is that they've both got huge work commitments for the rest of the year which stand in the way of them spending much time together.

"It's a shame because they really need some quality time to sort things out."

The couple moved out of their home in Beverly Hills, California – which is up for sale – while it was being renovated, but did not move into a temporary home together.

Instead, they have been staying two miles apart, with Sharon in a luxury hotel and Ozzy renting a mansion.

The Mirror source said: "They have had plenty of chances to see each other, but don't seem to have made any effort to do so."

Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy, 64, flies to New Zealand this week ahead of the first date of the band's reunion tour in Auckland on Saturday, before heading on to Australia. He will be on the road for most of 2013, with more gigs scheduled in North America, South America and Europe.

Sharon, 60, who is on US chat show The Talk, also has a busy TV schedule and friends believe the hectic calendars could force their lives even further apart.

Their early marriage was dominated by violence and Ozzy's drink and drug abuse. He was famously arrested in the 80s after trying to strangle his wife and said: "I regret trying to kill Sharon. It wasn't my plan."